It helped, the mindfulness, … so let me help”: High school students developing social work values through yoga

Abstract

Contemplative practices such as yoga may have positive mental health outcomes on adolescents. This article reports on a qualitative study that examined how a mindful movement program based on yoga philosophy helped to affect cognitive processes that are compatible to social work values. Three focus groups and one individual interview were conducted for a total of 24 participants. Participants spoke of themes that indicated progress towards understanding the dignity and worth of people, the importance of human relationships, and the need for social justice. These social work values are then aligned with yoga philosophy.